Taboo
by BlissfulNightRain
Summary: "Is it a boy?" she prods. Kairi's been waiting for the day I answer yes to this question. Today, however, is not that day. "Nope," I repeat once again. Technically, I'm not lying. Because I, Aqua, am totally enamored with an older MAN named Terra. AU.
1. Prologue

I skip the greetings and formalities.

"About time you picked up," I mutter, trying my hardest to mask my bitterness.

"Sorry, Aqua, I've been busy," he responds apathetically.

"So I've heard. You know, it only takes five seconds to say a simple 'Hi!' or 'How's your day going?' You were so good at it three months ago. I get that you have a lot on your plate; we both do, it's college, after all. But a little more effort would be appreciated."

"Look, you got this all wrong," he sighs.

It takes every fiber of my being to sound cool and under control."Oh? Then enlighten me. Because I'll be the first to admit, I'm confused as hell. One day, we're on an amazing date, and all you can tell me is how beautiful and wonderful I am, how there's no one else like me. You'd give me every second of that minute, miniscule attention span of yours. But then the next day, you turn around and stop responding to any of my calls or texts. You even unfollowed me on all my social media. What's been with you these past couple of weeks? I don't get it." Or, with all my heart, I don't _want_ to get it.

"Hey, I was just in it to have a little fun, alright? Nothing beyond that. If you want a long-term deal, then I'm not your guy." Pause. "I think that's really all there is to say."

I swallow the lump that has formed in my throat and blink back the sudden wetness that's clouded my vision. I know he can't see me, but I fake a smile anyway.

"That's all I needed to hear," I lie, both to myself and to him. "I just…needed some closure." Truth. "Good luck with everything. See you around."

"Yeah." He hangs up.

Not even a minute goes by before I curl up into a pathetic heap onto my cold, springy, cheap dormitory mattress.

Countdown to finals exams period: seven days.


	2. I

**A/N: If you read the prologue before today, 8/12/15, go back and reread it because it's changed!**

* * *

"Aqua…" calls a distant voice.

Five more minutes…

"Aqua!" it repeats, its source drawing closer and closer. The _tap, tap_ of footsteps was now audible, with each distinct step sounding louder than the last. What a racket.

And it's so warm and comfortable here…

"AQUA HOLLAND!" My bedroom door flings open. The gush of wind from the force, as well as the unwelcome light that has now flooded the space, have destroyed my perfect sanctuary. Quickly, I cover my head with my blanket to try and teleport myself back, but at this point, who am I kidding? It's futile when Momma Holland is in the building. "Aqua, get _up._"

I let out a pathetic moan and shift around slightly under my fortress of sheets. Maybe if I pretend to be asleep, she'll leave me alone—

No! I can't even stop myself from opening my eyes while I scuttle to scrunch myself into the tightest fetal position possible. It's all I can do—my fort has been breached! I'm exposed to the elements! It's so cold! So bright!

"Aqua, it's noon," my mother says disapprovingly, glaring at me as she tightly grips the beloved blankets she has so cruelly ripped away from me. "I know it's your summer break, but you can't spend the whole day sleeping."

"That's kind of the point," I grumble, groggily and begrudgingly sitting myself up.

"You're such a lazy bum," she sighs. "Just look at your room. What a mess."

"Am not!" I lazily retort through a yawn. She raises an eyebrow up at me. "Chill, mom, it's _Sunday_, and only the first week of break. I've got four whole months to go before I go back. I'm recovering from pulling three all-nighters for finals last week. Cut me some slack!" I yawn once more to emphasize how _absolutely exhausted_ I actually really am right now. For real.

"Well, sleep at a decent time tonight and you'll catch up on your sleep in no time, and you won't end up snoozing through half the day."

"It's not like I even have any plans for the day." With that, I flop back down onto the bed; my head hits the pillow with a soft 'plop' as I spread my arms wide and shut my eyes once more.

"Up," she says firmly. "If I don't hear you leave this bed in five minutes, I'm dumping a glass of cold water on you." And with that, I hear the wood floors creak as she turns around to leave. I don't hear the door close.

I better actually get up though, because that threat was no joke. She really will be back in here. With the freezing water, as cold as her (in times like these) angry soul. It's happened before.

I don't like to talk about it.

Besides, after having my sheets torn away from me, getting a prolonged exposure to light and the chill from the air conditioning, and having a semi-conversation, I don't think I'll be able to fall back asleep. What a shame.

So, after one more lion-like yawn, I begin my quest of getting out of bed. And trust me, I am not exaggerating. Slowly, I swing my legs over the side of my bed, and lift my torso to rise so that I'm actually sitting. I give my eyes a quick rub to waken myself further – because, seriously, I'm going to need to be as alert as I can to best the maze of suitcases and boxes currently on my floor. Gonna have to start taking care of that today, no doubt.

At least it'll keep me occupied, even if for a day. I got so sidetracked back at school with tons of things, so I didn't remember to look for a job. I guess that's one thing I'll be spending my summer doing – trying to find one. Probably won't be easy at this point, considering most people apply, like, months in advance.

Well, guess I won't know 'til I try, right? As long as it keeps me busy; that's the thing I need the most, going into this behemoth of a break.

"Oh, you're up." I turn to see my mother, once again in my doorway, with the same disappointed look in her eyes. Though this time, she has something in her right hand. Yep, you guessed it. Freezing, ice cold glass of water. I narrow my eyes at her as I finally get up on to my feet, and begin to make my way towards her.

It's not before long that – surprise! – I trip over my biggest suitcase and land straight on my face.

"See, this is why we need to clean this room up right away!" Mom interjects, exasperated, without a care in the world as to whether I'm actually okay or not. I pick myself and grumble some peeved words incoherent to even myself as I stagger out of the room past her and head towards the bathroom. I hear her sighing in even more disapproval as she heads into my room to start unpacking herself, because that's just how this woman rolls. Her world revolves not around me, her daughter, what most normal people would consider the most precious gift a parent could have. Oh, no, with this woman, it's all about how neat and tidy every nook and cranny of this house is.

I'm fine, by the way. Probably. I can see clearly and walk in a straight line, but then again, sometimes concussion symptoms take days to surface.

What a great start to this summer break!

* * *

Six hours later and this room is looking spick and span, all thanks to my dear drill sergeant mother's impossibly high standards. After inspecting every square inch meticulously, she finally deemed that I had passed, and then proceeded to head out on her own to run some errands. Don't know what's open in Radiant Garden after six on a Sunday, but at this point I'm not gonna question it.

With nothing left to do up here, I guess I'm gonna head downstairs and chill with my dad. He conveniently avoided the warzone that was the upstairs while I was cleaning and unpacking by…well, I actually don't know what that man has been up to. Guess I'll find out soon enough.

I grab my phone, which I haven't taken a look at all day, and head down the stairs. I hear the television on, so I proceed to make my way into the living room, and sure enough, there he is, watching the blitzball game. How could I have forgotten? He's a diehard fan of the Radiant Garden Rebels; anyone who doesn't know him could tell just by looking at the way he watches the game—lack of acknowledgement of my presence, arms of the sofa chair tightly gripped, jaw clenched, eyes unblinking, jersey of some old-time player proudly in display up above him on the wall behind him—all classical signs. It can get pretty comical when things don't go well; he starts jumping around on the couch like a chimpanzee, screeching all the things the team's doing wrong, as if they can hear him. Mom and I get a pretty good laugh out of it, and that only makes him all the more riled up.

Don't get me wrong, I love watching a good blitzball game every now and then, too, but this man's an absolute maniac. And judging his posture, looks like this is a pretty intense game.

"Dang, 17-15?" I observe, as I plop down on the sofa adjacent to his. He just grunts in response, eyes glued to the television screen. The game abruptly cuts to a commercial break for a timeout.

"Want somethin' to eat or drink?" Dad asks, as he finally breaks his locked gaze and briskly gets out of the chair to go into the kitchen. "Make it snappy, though, I got a game to watch!"

"I'm good, Dad." I wave him off.

To be honest, I'm not really feeling the game right now. I usually really only get into it when there's a big tournament or during the playoffs, but the season's only just started. Not super exciting, if you ask me.

Right now, I'm a bit more interested in what I might have missed all day on my phone. I wonder if anyone's hit me up? A bunch of some of my friends just recently moved back in from school, too, so it would be cool to make plans to see them or something, if not today, then at least over the next few days or even weeks. After all, as we've established, it's not like I have much else going on.

Let's see…Oh, wow, ten text messages, two missed calls, and a voice mail?!

And they're all from the same person. I'm actually not surprised by this in the slightest. Guess I'll call back and see what all the fuss is about.

The ringing barely begins when Kairi picks up her end of the line.

"OMG Aqua! You're alive!"

"Nah I died last night, just calling to give you the update," I deadpan.

"Oh, come on, girl, I was seriously worried! I know you're bad at answering your phone, but I don't think you've ever not replied that long," she says, genuine apprehension in her voice.

"Sorry," I reply. "I usually have my phone on silent at school, and I forgot to change it when I got home. I was so busy unpacking today – you know my mom – that it didn't even cross my mind to check it. Also, me responding to your messages an average of five minutes after you've sent me one does _not_ make me a bad replier!"

"Alright, alright, alright, I get it, I get it! But, okay, did you read any of the texts I sent ya?"

"No, just called you right away when I saw your name all over my phone." I hear her huff, probably frustrated that she has to tell me whatever the situation is for what is probably the twelfth time or so at this point.

"To cut to the chase, Sora and I are going to chill at Ven and Roxas's place. Naminé's gonna be there too. We're like five minutes away from your place. You're coming with us, whether you want to or not!"

"Pretty sure it's illegal to force me to do that. Or anything I hypothetically may not want to do."

"Screw the police!"

"You mean—"

"I know what the actual phrase is!" she interjects. "I'm trying to cut back on the swearing, all right? I've been told I've started become a potty mouth, and I'd just rather not have that reputation. Anyway, see ya soon!" And before I can say anything else, she hangs up. Typical. I look up to see that my dad has resumed his position on the couch, soda clutched tightly in hand as he leans forward to watch the last play of the game.

"Hey, Dad, I'm gonna go hang out with some friends. Is that okay?" I ask. I'm pretty sure he'll be fine with it. That's what I assume when he just grunts once again in response, eyes and soul glued to the television. I quickly head on out of the living room and back up the stairs to find something suitable to wear; I've been in my PJs all day, which, to be honest, would probably be an acceptable get-up with my group of friends, but come on, it's summer! With a fresh new season comes a somewhat fresher Aqua is how I look at it, anyway.

As I reach the top step, I hear Dad scream "GODDAMMIT WAKKA!" in utter anguish.

* * *

The golden rule to KST, or Kairi Standard Time: multiply whatever time she gives you by three, or two if it's over an hour. Sure enough, Sora's blue, slightly rickety car rolls up my driveway exactly fifteen minutes later. I wave good-bye to Dad (who's still moderately pissed off about the loss, which he'll get over in another hour or two) as I put on a pair of sandals and slip out the front door, making sure to pull it shut and lock it with my keys behind me.

"Hey, Aqua!" Kairi yells enthusiastically through Sora's rolled-down window. She's practically climbed over him so that I can see her. It doesn't look like he minds very much; that boy is one chill boyfriend. Serious relationship goals right there. I smile at the two of them as I jog over to the back door and let myself in.

"Hey, guys. Thanks a ton for picking me up!" I grin, and throw my purse on the seat next to me.

"Don't sweat it. Kairi was willing to drug you and stuff you in a duffel bag if we had to!" Sora explains, flashing that big, goofy grin that's practically engraved on his face through the rearview mirror.

"So sue me!" she pouts.

"Actually, my parents probably would have…" I contemplate aloud.

"I just wanted to see my best friend for the first time since spring break, which was, what, two whole months ago? It's been far too long! You'd totally do the same if it was Riku, babe." The last remark is directed as Sora, who's begun pulling out of my driveway.

"Yeah, but he's not back for another 6 weeks," he sighs.

"Oh, right, he's still back at school for summer classes, isn't he?"

"He'll be back soon enough, though!" Sora reassures, sensing my disappointment at the fact. "Pretty soon, our circle will be will be complete again!" I nod in agreement.

Everyone in our friend group always pokes fun at their bromance, but my friendship with Riku is nearly on par with his and Sora's. The two of us practically grew up together since our moms are such close friends. He and I both are also the only ones in our circle to leave Radiant Garden for school; the two of us attend Twilight Town University, which was awesome since I had him around to show me the ropes. Being a year older than me, he's like the older brother I never had. It was a relationship that was vital to keeping me in check during those last couple of weeks of school, when the going really got tough…

"So, Aqua, speaking of school, how was the rest of your semester?" Sora asks.

"It went alright. Finals were tough, but I think I squeaked by."

"Ah, yeah, I feel you. Kairi and I just got done with that ourselves. Of course, that's pretty self-explanatory." He chuckles.

"Your exams were probably _way_ harder, though," Kairi muses. "I mean, TTU is a way tougher school than RGU is!"

"I wouldn't really know, since I never took a class at RGU. I guess it really all depends on the classes you take. At either school."

"True, true," she agrees. "So, you got any special plans for the summer yet, Aqua? I don't remember you mentioning anything."

"Nope, not yet. I might go to a couple of blitzball games with my dad or something, but for the most part, we're staying put."

"Did you get a job or something?" Sora asks.

"Didn't get a chance to apply, but I'll look and see if there's anything available! It's probably gonna be tough at this point, though."

"You never know," Sora replies cheerily, ever the optimist. "A lot of retail stores and restaurants hire last minute. My boss back at the diner was talking about possible hiring. I could put in a good word for you, if you want!"

"That would be awesome! Thank you so much!"

"I could also ask Daddy if he has any entry-level positions at the Town Hall," Kairi adds. "That's where I'll be this summer. We could hang out, like, all the time! Could you imagine?!"

"Oh, yes, please! I need all the opportunities I could get! You guys are awesome."

"Anything for my B.F.F.!" Kairi cheers. I smile, leaning back into my seat. "I know how important it is to keep you busy this summer."

"Definitely," I reply, eyes darting around quickly, hoping Kairi gets the message that I don't really want to bring any of _that stuff_ up right now. Luckily, she changes the subject quickly, before Sora gets any ideas.

It's not long before we finally reach Roxas and Ven's place. A sudden warmth washes over me as we approach the house. It's a structure that probably wouldn't stand out to many people, Radiant Garden residents or outsiders, since it blends in and resembles most of the houses in the area; it's a standard two-story home, painted in neutral colors with a white, sturdy porch and lush green lawn, surrounded by the beautiful flowers that populate the rest of the area (it _is_ Radiant Garden, after all). But those people don't know about the annual end-of-summer barbeques held in the backyard, about the times we all lay in the front lawn and watched the clouds together, or about the time Riku tripped going up those front steps on the porch, and we all laughed, because Riku _never_ trips. They don' know about Sora and Kairi's first kiss on the hammock, and how we all secretly watched them do it, jumping out and screaming "We knew it!" afterwards just to embarrass them, and because, seriously, it was about damn time. (We ended up doing the same exact thing to Roxas and Naminé last summer, a year later.) Nor do they know about the countless sleepovers or bonfires, times that would always reinforce the bonds of our friendship, unbroken for over ten years and counting. And they definitely would not know of my absolute favorite memories, which may be the most mundane; the nostalgia of us spending lazy summer afternoons in the cool basement, idling as we came up with games and stories to pass the time.

To say I missed this is an understatement.

As Sora parks the car in the driveway, the garage door begins to rumble, signaling its opening. The three of us gather our things and get out the car, and proceed into the garage. I see one of the twins standing there to greet us at the door leading into the house. Upon closer inspection, I realize it's Ven.

"Hey, guys!" He waves enthusiastically; the three of us return the gesture just as energetically.

"It's been way too long!" I exclaim, going in for a quick hug.

"Seriously! You gotta do a better job of staying in touch, man. Believe it or not, as much as Kairi talks, she's pretty bad at updating us about you."

"Hey! I heard that!" she pouts. She and Sora crouch to undo their shoes before entering the interior of the house.

"Sorry, I just got so busy!" I explain, as I, too, begin to loosen the buckles on my sandals.

"No worries, bro, I'm just joking with you. I'm sure you were swamped, we all were." The four of us enter and head over towards the kitchen, where the stairs that lead to the basement are. "I do hope, however, that you made some progress with that request I had for you."

"Ven, you are thirsty AF," Sora chuckles. He leads the way downstairs.

"Isn't that a fact!" says an overly dramatic voice, identical to Ven's. I can only conclude that it's Roxas. The soft giggle that follows definitely belongs to Naminé.

"Hey, it's not fun being the only bae-less one in the group!" Ven whines. "Everyone's either taken, gone, or plain annoying in RG. Gotta outsource, man."

Conveniently ignoring the fact that he currently is not the only "bae-less" person in the group for a variety of reasons, I respond. "Still looking, but I_ might_ have a girl in mind for you. Gotta do more research to approve, though." Though I do have a pretty good feeling about her.

"No way, show me!" he pleads. I shake my head in the negative.

"Can't let you get too attached before I can green-light this, now, can I?" I take a seat in the fluorescent purple beanie bag next to the coffee table in the center of the room.

"Is that a _Great Gatsby _reference?" asks Sora, who's bent over at the mini-fridge in the corner, scratching his head, scavenging for a soda. Pepsi's his favorite, but unfortunately, this is a Coke house. I don't really drink soda, but apparently there's a huge difference between the two brands, even though they use practically the same ingredients.

"Well, not exactly, but I see you're paying attention in English Lit!" He turns to look at me, bright blue eyes and huge grin plastered on his face. Kid's like a puppy—all it takes is a little encouragement to get him all giddy.

"Alright, fine," Ven scoffs. "I'm giving you two weeks, Holland. After that, I take over." He plops down on the edge of the huge sectional sofa, right next to his twin brother. If it weren't for their clothing – Ven has a preppier style, while Roxas tends to be on the edgier side – I don't know if I could tell them apart, even now.

"How exactly are you going to find out without knowing her name?" Roxas cocks an eyebrow at him. Naminé chuckles silently, leaning her head into his shoulder.

"I have my methods." He leans back in his seat with a mischievous smile.

This girl better work out…

"How was it at TTU, Aqua?" Naminé asks in that sweet, quiet voice, that's been known to quell many agitating moments, both within the group and out of it. "I remember you saying you were having a good time there when you were here for spring break."

"Pfft, not as good as a time as she's had with us," Kairi, who is sprawled across the rest of the sectional and browsing her phone, answers for me. Sora sits on the carpeted ground, leaning his head back on the sofa where his girlfriend's feet are. He doesn't seem to mind much.

"Well, I am a little sad it's over," I respond, honestly. "It was really nice to be independent and all that, you know? And I met some really cool people. Saw a lot of places I probably never would have been to if I was still here. You guys seriously need to visit sometime next year. But I definitely am happy to be back with all of you guys!"

"How's it going with that guy…" Ven begins; my heart begins to beat more rapidly. "What was his name…Zack?" Kairi shoots up and glares in Ven's direction, sending the message across to everyone. A panicked expression clouds his features, as he begins to stutter to find the words to apologize. At this point, though, there's not really much turning back—the proverbial door's been, inevitably, opened.

"It's fine, Ven," I assure him, though I keep my gaze on the ground. "It just didn't work out. It happens." I look back up to see all of them staring back at me, concern evident in their eyes.

"So sorry, Aqua, we had no idea!" Naminé says with grief in her tone. The rest of them nod in agreement, not exactly sure what else to say.

None of them have gone through a break-up before.

"Come on, guys, you don't have to look at me like that," I reassure, as I try to cut through the tension and awkward silence. "It's not like someone died. It's alright. But, before you guys ask, I don't think I'm ready to talk about what happened quite yet." It happened pretty suddenly, after all. Or maybe I'm just a novice when it comes to this romantic stuff. Either way, I guess I'm still processing it all. Riku and Kairi, the only two who knew about it up until this point, helped me stall the thoughts and help me get my priorities straight these past couple of weeks.

"So…" Roxas starts, a bit awkwardly, "what are you all doing for the summer, again? Ven and I are gonna be doing a bunch of odd jobs. Mail delivery, swatting bees for that old lady, hanging 'Struggle' posters, and all that jazz."

"That's a pretty great idea," I muse, remembering my joblessness.

"Yeah, we started doing it after spring break. It's a lot of fun," Ven adds. "It's a little unstable, but it keeps us busy. Lots of interesting stories come out of it."

"Like the time you got stung by four bees?" Sora smirks at Ven. Ven winces, as the painful memories come back. I remember getting countless text messages about the whole ordeal, most of them from Ven himself, complaining how worthless life would be if he died a virgin because of a few bug bites. But here he is today, alive and well (albeit still a virgin).

"You working at the diner this summer, Sora?" Roxas inquires.

"Yep! Can't believe it's been almost two years since I started there…And Kairi's got herself a job at the Town Hall!" Kairi raises her fist in response, as an affirmation. "Maybe if we save up for a year or two, we can start living together."

"You gotta get those student loans out of the way first, though," I add.

"Ugh, don't even remind me." He slumps, taking a pitiful sip of what appears to be an orange soda.

"You got some good scholarships and grants though, babe," says Kairi, reaching over to pet her dejected boyfriend's head. "They'll get paid off in no time!"

"Sure hope so." Another sip.

"How 'bout you?" Roxas is addressing me this time.

"Nothing as of yet. Doing some job-hunting."

"You should join us some time!" Ven offers.

"Hm, if I don't find anything, maybe I will!" To be honest, I don't even care about pay; I'm just desperate to keep myself as occupied as I can this summer. "But I think I would definitely prefer something a little more…regular?"

"You should come to the rec center!" suggests Naminé. We all turn to look at her. "You know, the one we all went to when we were kids, after school and during summer sometimes?" Radiant Garden Recreational Center. I don't remember much of the specifics, since this was back in elementary school/early middle school, but I do know that we did enjoy ourselves there.

"Right, my older brother works there," says Sora. "He heads the youth program."

"Yeah!" Naminé nods her head. "I'm working there, too, for the summer, and Terra's been asking me to find some volunteers. Apparently there's gonna be a lot of kids."

"No paid jobs, though?" I ask.

"No, unfortunately, they're all out of payroll to hire anyone else," she laments. "But they do need all the help they can get, so if you guys are free, it'd be awesome to have you all."

"Yeah, Terra's been begging me to come and help out, but I'm working pretty much full-time at the diner, so I don't think I'll be able to make it regularly," Sora explains. "I feel kind of bad, since I should be helping my brother out…Amaya's only working part-time though, so she'll be there pretty often." Amaya? Sora's pretty older sister, Amaya? Well, it definitely won't be hard to recruit Riku when he comes back, I'm sure.

"How often do people need to come?" I inquire. "Like I said, my schedule's totally open. I'd love to get involved."

"Count me in, too!" Kairi interjects. "My two best girl friends are not hanging out without me!"

"If the times aren't too bad, Ven and I don't mind helping out a couple times a week, either. We're pretty flexible," Roxas says. Ven nods in agreement.

"Oh, this is great!" Naminé claps her hands together gleefully. "I'll text Terra and ask what he needs! You guys are the best." Roxas gives her a kiss on the cheek as she pulls out her phone. I notice Kairi giving me a concerned look, which I'm assuming is in reaction to the PDA. I really don't mind.

Come on, I'm not _that_ fragile.

But I am floored to have something to fill the void that is my summer vacation.

* * *

**A/N: Well, hello, hello! It's been a while, hasn't it? How've you all been? So sorry I've been gone for so long - I just realized, my last update was in March! There was just a lot going on, between college, social life, and then lately working and volunteering, so I just haven't had the time/energy to write. But I'm here now!**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It's been a while since I've written anything, so please let me know what you guys think! I finally have a direction for this story, and I really hope you all enjoy where I take it. I will say that it is semi-autobiographical; a lot of this stuff is based off of personal experience, but in the story, things are definitely going to be exaggerated or more subdued to keep it interesting for you all.**

**That all being said, please, please, please leave me a review letting me know what you all think! Those always keep me motivated, and if you'd like to read more, I'd definitely love to know it!**


	3. II

VST, or Ventus Standard Time, is quite different from the law of Kairi Standard Time that I've already established. When he gives you a time frame, you best be sure to be ready at least five minutes in advance. Being punctual is one of his best - or worst, depending whose talking - qualities.

Maybe I should let this potential "bae" know of that detail.

In accordance with this standard law, I made sure to get into an appropriate outfit, finish up my makeup, double-check to see that I had everything I'll need in my purse, and even eat a snack, with ten minutes to spare 'til the time Ven stated he would get here. Only five passed before I heard the sound of his rickety, hand-me-down pick-up (courtesy of some cousin of his) truck pull into my driveway, as predicted.

After making sure one more time that I had everything I needed, I bade good-bye to Mom (who wouldn't let me drive on my own with her car, since she needed it for whatever reason) and headed out, and now here I am, riding shot-gun, as we drive towards the recreational center for our volunteer orientation.

"So, Aqua, you ready for this?" Ven asks, turning out of my street and onto the route we need to take.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I respond, leaning back into the seat. "I'm actually pretty excited. This totally beats sitting around at home all day."

"Yeah, I bet! Sorry Roxas and I weren't able to hang out much this past week. Between odd jobs and having some family over, we were pretty swamped."

"Don't even worry about it. You guys all had tons of prior commitments; I wouldn't want to get in the way of that. Plus, it was actually pretty nice bonding time with my mom." I don't normally spend much time with her during my vacations, but I needed something to do this week. Admittedly, I don't regret it at all—it was actually a lot of fun. She took me shopping a couple times, and we went out for lunch once, too. Even cooking and cleaning, which I usually loathe, turned out to be pretty great even though I was patrolled during those activities by Mom the boot camp instructor.

"Well, that's always good," Ven nods. "To be totally honest, I was a little worried."

I turn my head sharply to look at him, trying to decipher what exactly he means by that. He looks ahead stoically, eyes glued to the road. "Worried? What for?"

"Hm, well…how to word this…" He pauses for a few seconds to ponder.

"Just say it," I sigh, growing impatient. "You're one of my best friends. If there's something up I definitely want to know."

"Okay, then I guess I'll go ahead with it," he starts. "I kind of got worried about you, last week, while you were over our place. You just kept talking about finding things to do over the summer, almost obsessively. Not that it's bad that you want to keep yourself busy, 'cause four months off is a ridiculous amount of time to just laze around and do nothing during, but you sounded _desperate_ to keep your schedule as full as possible, like something would go wrong if it wasn't." We reach a stoplight, and he turns his head my way and looks me straight in the eye. "Is everything alright?"

I shrink a little under his gaze. While I appreciate the fact that he's being upfront with me, he's brought up some pretty rocky territory. I take a few moments to gather myself before I carefully respond to the posed question.

"In a nutshell, I'm basically just trying to keep my mind off of certain things." The light turns green, forcing Ven to shift his eyes back on to the road. "Keeping myself as occupied as I can will definitely help that."

"You don't have to go into detail or anything, but, I just have to ask…is it that Zack guy?"

My stomach turns over just at the sound of his name.

"Yeah," I admit reluctantly. "It might sound stupid, since we weren't even together for that long, but…it's been pretty tough."

"It's not stupid at all. You're entitled to your feelings, Aqua. Everyone reacts differently to certain situations. But, I just want you to know that you don't have to go through it alone. You might not be ready to talk about it right now, but when you are, all of us will be there to listen. Don't forget that." A lump forms in my throat as I take in his words.

"Geez, Ven, did you get that off a fortune cookie or something?" I retort quickly, trying to mask the sudden overflow of appreciative emotions. He just chuckles.

"I just have a way with words, don't I?" He seems a little too pleased with himself.

"I think I'm gonna stick with my fortune cookie theory."

"Hey, we've been apart for the better part of over two months. People change!"

"Well, I did notice that the car doesn't swerve as much anymore with you behind the wheel. Great job!"

"Very funny," he deadpans. Without warning, he speeds up the car and makes an extremely sharp right turn. I clutch the door handle and hold my breath; my very life is flashing before my eyes!

"Watch it!" I meant for it to come out in a more stern tone, but it ended up sounding kinda whiney and wimpy. Dammit! He's cackling like a hyena at my now-obvious dismay.

"That's what you get!" he taunts. Ugh.

Luckily, I do hold _some_ leverage over him.

"Keep this going," I begin, "and I'm just gonna leave you, bae-less." The car slows down almost instantaneously.

"Alright, alright, alright, I'm sorry!" A smirk plays on my lips in response to his exasperation. "Speaking of which," he continues, "how are we on that front? You told me you had someone in mind!" Oh, that's right, I did, didn't I?

"Okay, I guess I can let you in on a liiittle bit of it." The times I did find myself free last week, I made sure to hit this girl up as much as I could. Without seeming like a creep, of course. If it actually works out between her and Ven, I'll end up spending a lot of time with her, after all.

"So, lay it on me," he demands, rather impatiently.

"Alright, fine. I met her in calculus this semester, and we both were part of the same study group. She's pretty smart and has a good head on her shoulders, which should hopefully make up for all you lack on that front."

"Hey!"

"Kidding! Anyway, she's super friendly and approachable, and an awesome cook. One time, she made some bomb stir-fry in the communal kitchen. I still dream about that stuff."

"Ooh, now that is a very enticing package you got there. Now, before we go any further, how is she on the looks front? I mean, like…she's not ugly, right?"

"She looks like a troll-doll whose face got run over by a monster truck." I shift my eyes to see how he's reacted to the revelation; he doesn't look very impressed with my sarcasm. Hmph. I thought it was a pretty good joke. "Of course she's cute. Wouldn't be looking into her if I didn't think she wasn't!"

"And…the name?"

"So you can stalk her on MoogleSpace? I don't think so!"

"Oh, come onnn," he whines.

"Knowing you, you'll do something reckless with that information, and the just blow your chances. I'm working on getting her to come this summer to visit, so I can set you both up on a blind date then. But no online stalking. You'll ruin it. Just like last time."

"Hey, I learned from my experience with Shiki, alright? I promise, I won't do anything stupid!" Shiki's the girl Kairi tried setting Ven up with during the winter. When he found out about it, he creeped on all her social media and did a thorough FBI-level investigation, and with that, practically interviewed her about every aspect of her life during their date. There's a gold-mine worth of quotes from that night, but my personal favorite of his was "From what I've read, your interests are really similar to my mom's. You guys should hang out sometime!"

She never returned any of his calls or texts for another date.

"At least give me a hint!"

"She's got blue eyes," I inform, without skipping a beat.

"Practically _everyone_ has blue eyes, Aqua," he replies, bemused.

"In due time, my friend, in due time."

"Bah, you're no help!"

I'm gonna make him eat those words.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, and we've finally arrived at the rec center. Could be a worse commute; definitely gonna have to find a way to get money to pay for gas when I start driving here myself, though. Really hope Kairi's dad comes through with the potential job!

I trail Ven as we walk towards the entrance. Just as I'm about to catch up to him, he sticks his arm out like a barrier to stop me. I give him a quizzical look, but he pays me no heed as he walks up to the sliding doors himself. When he reaches the sensors that trigger them to open automatically, he waves his hand in a slow, horizontal motion, and, as if in response to the gesture, the doors part.

"Go on in, and may the force be with you," he says stoically, bowing to me.

"Dork." I shake my head at him in disapproval as I head inside. He chuckles, presumably at himself, following me in.

Okay, fine, I admit, it was kind of endearingly funny. Kind of.

The sight of the rec center lobby definitely brings back a lot of memories. When I was in middle school, my parents would always get rid of me during the day by sending me here when the summer activities were in session. I honestly don't remember much, but I do know I would have a good time. My personal favorite thing to do was to participate in sports, which I remember being the most popular activity offered; I kinda hope I'll be able to help out there for the summer, 'cause I think that might be a lot of fun!

Ven and I walk straight up to the receptionist's desk, situated smack in the center of the lobby only several yards away from the entrance. On duty is a bemused-looking, rather unsightly woman, who looks busy on her computer. Naminé told us to check in with her, so with the utmost caution, I approach her.

Alright, I know I'm not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but, come on…this woman's appearance is so unsettling! And the hideous scowl that forms on her face when she sees us definitely isn't helping her case.

"What do you guys want?" she asks, her irritation quite evident. Her voice could be featured on one of those 'THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULDN'T SMOKE GUYS' ads, because I'm pretty sure that's what emphysema is supposed to make you sound like.

Fine, that was a bit judgmental, but I digress…

"Um, we're here to check in for volunteer orientation…" I explain warily. I sense Ven nervously nodding in agreement.

The woman, whose name I gather is "Mary Sue" from the looks of her name tag, turns back to her computer and clicks her mouse a few times, seemingly to get to whatever program she needs to be in. Her angry grimace doesn't fade one bit, like it's etched permanently onto her face. And I know it's rude to stare, but I can't help it – I've never seen anyone quite so…_ugly._ The receding hairline, the bloodshot eyes, the saggy skin...you could almost say she looked like Queen Elizabeth, if someone tried to pull off her face but gave up halfway, and then deprived her of sleep for about a week. And her makeup job sure isn't helping her case; the smudged blue eye-shadow, neon pink blush, and blood-red lipstick are reminiscent of the job a five-year-old who snuck into their mom's cosmetics would do. Not a pretty sight, in the slightest.

"Name?" she inquires impatiently, snapping me out of my almost-trance.

"Uh, Aqua Holland," I reply, shaking my head as I try to find something else to fixate my gaze on. The tiled floors sure look clean and shiny! Wonder if someone waxed them recently?

"And you?" This time, she's asking Ven.

"Ventus Uchiyama," he responds, almost _too_ nonchalantly. She clicks her mouse a few more times before speaking once again.

"Third floor. Take a left. You'll see it."

"Th-thank you!" we say in unison. Yes, even the stutter was in sync.

"Yeah, yeah. Scram, now." And we do exactly that. The stairwell is to the left of the desk; Ven swings the red metal door open and lets me in, before following in behind me.

"Wonder who spit in her coffee this morning?" I ask, clambering up the stairway.

"I think it takes a little more than saliva and caffeine to turn a person into…_that_." I can hear him shudder. "Do all the people who work here look like that?"

"Now, now, Ven, don't judge a book by its cover!"

"Of course not! But, I mean, come on, at least pay me for potential eye injuries!"

"Ha, you might have a point there. But, hey, Naminé works here, and she is definitely _not_ ugly. I'm sure Roxas would kick your ass if you thought otherwise. Heck, we all would. And Sora's older siblings work here, too – haven't seen Terra in a while, but from what I remember, they are a pretty good-looking family."

"And then us beautiful volunteers'll light up the rest of the place! Ooh, maybe there'll be some girl –"

"Ven, S.M.H."

"Hey, if the opportunity arises, I will seize it."

"I don't doubt it." I shake my head in disapproval at him as we arrive at the third floor. Pushing the door open, I hold it for Ven to enter before I follow him inside. My eyes are greeted by the sight of people sitting in a wide circle of folding chairs. Thankfully, they are all at least palatable to look at.

Roxas and Kairi are already here, sitting with some guy I haven't seen before. He has some very spiky, bright red hair, I must say. Ven and I go over to join them.

"You're here!" Kairi stands up excitedly to greet us when we catch her eye.

"Yep! Quite frankly, I'm surprised _you're _here," I respond, returning the hug she hastily initiated.

"Roxas and Naminé picked me up from Daddy's office while they were on their way here," she explains. "So, I was actually here super early, believe it or not!"

"I'm a witness," Roxas chimes in.

"Speaking of Naminé, where is she? And Sora?" Ven asks, taking a seat next to the red-haired guy. He greets him with a high-five. Ah, the language of men!

"Sora's stuck at work for the day, but he's volunteered here before, so it's not really necessary for him to be here. And then Naminé is in the back with all the other coordinators," Roxas explains. I take the last seat available next to Kairi as I listen in. "They should be out in about five minutes to start this meeting, though."

"Pfft, like these things ever start on time," comments the mysterious red-haired guy. He lets out an exaggerated sigh as he leans back in his chair, hands in the pockets of his black jeans.

"I'm surprised you're even here, Lea," Ven says. Oh, so that's his name.

"Isa said it would look good on my resume, and with my grades, believe me, I need all the help I can get."

"Wow, someone's growing up!" Roxas taunts.

"My parents said they're gonna kick me outta the house once I'm done with school, and they're actually being serious about it this time, so I sorta _have _to if I wanna get that dough, ya feel? Gotta fill up that resume shit to look competitive or whatever. Besides, not like I'm gonna be here all that long. Just gotta hold this down 'til I find one of those internship things. Say, Kairi, think you could help a brother out with that?"

"Somehow, I can't quite picture you working in the government," Ven muses aloud.

"Hey, gotta start from the bottom if I wanna work my way up to rulin' the planet." He waves him off. "I got it all planned out."

"Hm, I can definitely ask for you, but you might have to wait for the fall for something to open up," Kairi explains apologetically. "They're pretty full there right now. I just asked for you, too, Aqua, and Daddy said he'll let me know as soon as they have a position you can take."

Dang! I was really banking on that for a job! Guess I might have to take up on the odd job offer from Roxas and Ven at some point after all.

"Aw, well, thanks for asking!" I reply, giving her a pat on the shoulder.

"Oh, so you're Aqua," Lea interjects. I look over to him to see him extending his hand over. "Heard a lot aboutcha from these folks. Name's Lea."

"Nice to meet you, Lea." I reach over to shake his hand.

"I met him in one of my classes this year, and now he just stalks me," Ven states. Roxas nods in agreement.

"Oh, you know you _love_ the thrill of having me around! I spice up your monotonous life, brochacho." He throws an arm around his shoulder.

"'Monotonous?' That's a pretty big word coming from you, Lea," Roxas observes, apparently impressed.

"You learn a few things when you drop a couple dozen G's on your higher education."

"May I have your attention?" It's a cheery woman's voice that cuts through the buzzing of the various conversations throughout the room. The noise level drops as the attention turns to a black-haired girl standing in the middle of the circle, hands cupped around her mouth to amplify her voice. Tan skin, green eyes, cute floral sundress…oh! This is Sora's older sister, Amaya. "We're ready to begin here in a moment, if you all could please settle down? Thank you!"

Seeing her immediately brings my thoughts to Riku, who would probably get on his hands and knees and obey this girl's every command. He's whipped, even though I don't think she knows he exists. It's funny; he's a self-proclaimed ladies' man, as well as one of the most popular guys growing up, but the façade melts to reveal his true nature – being a gigantic dorkwad – around the girl he likes. Kind of cliché, huh?

"Alright, guys," she speaks up once again, "thank you all so much for coming here today! The seats here, as you all can see, are totally full, which is awesome! As you know, we have our hands full here with the kids, and all the help, no matter how little, is extremely appreciated. I believe there're 25 of you guys registered, which is the perfect amount to help us around the clock in all the activities we offer." She pauses to look at the note card she has in her hand. "Um, so, before we begin, I'll give you a rough outline of what we plan to go over today. It should be pretty brief, so that we can all get out of here as quickly as we can. But, basically, the four of us – Naminé, Terra, Tifa, and myself – are going to go over what each of the activities we coordinate entail, and what we're gonna need your help to do. After that, we'll give you guys a couple minutes to decide which activity or activities you'd be interested in helping out with, and then split you all up based on that. The corresponding coordinator will then go over more specific details of what is expected of you guys, as well as hand out sheets for you to register your timeslots. Terra will be out in a minute to go over that in a little more detail. Until then, do you guys have any questions?"

No one has any objections, so she continues. "Okay, so there are three major activities we have available for the summer program…"

I don't hear the rest of what she has to say, because at this point, I'm totally absorbed in checking my phone. I swear I'm trying to be as discreet as possible, though! Not too many notifications, anyway…an event invite on MoogleSpace…a re-choco…and, ooh, an LDChat from Riku. Upon clicking it, a picture of him appears with his head on the desk, exaggeratedly dejected expression on his face, and captioned with "I'm bored." It disappears after five seconds.

Man, it must suck to be stuck studying right now! Riku's trying to double major, so in a way, he brought this upon himself. Besides, summer break is so ridiculously long, I guess it makes sense to take a couple of classes to keep yourself busy. Maybe I'll try it in the future. Maybe.

In Amaya's place now is a tall, very busty, black-haired woman with bright ruby eyes. She's just wearing a tank top and some gym shorts, but_ damn_, she is hot! Seriously, she is goals. This woman's as beautiful as that receptionist was hideous! I think I feel a girl-crush coming on…

Amaya's still standing right beside her, along with Naminé, throwing in a little nod here and there. I open up the LDChat camera on my phone and hold it up close to my lap, but keep my eyes on our presenters as to not arouse too much suspicion. When the camera finally focuses, I snap a picture of Amaya, who's got her eyes on her note card, blissfully unaware. I caption it with "10/10 wifey material would recommend" and send it off to Riku. That'll probably help him with his boredom for at least 10 seconds of his life.

A response comes almost immediately. What a creep, he screenshotted it! Oh, and he sent another picture, let's see…

Ugh. He's biting his bottom lip, eyes rolled into the back of his head, and has it captioned "#fack." Classy.

"What the heck?" Kairi whispers, giggling softly. It's only then that I feel her head over my shoulder.

"You know this kid," I whisper back, making sure the disgust is evident in my voice. Another notification from him shows up; this time, it's a text message.

'_Seriously, miss you guys. Also, that rating should be more like a 12/10. Jealous af'_

'_Come back then. And more like u thirsty af' _is what I respond with.

"Aqua, smile!" Kairi whispers once more. She leans her head on my shoulder, phone screen pointed up towards us to take a selfie. "Sending Sora and Riku a snap!" I proceed to flare my nostrils and cross my eyes for the picture.

Bitch, I'm fabulous!

"Hey, stupid facial expressions and phones away," retorts an apathetic male voice. I look up to find the source of it and –

…Z-Zack?!

No, no, it's not Zack! But, damn, this guy looks…_way _too much like him. The hairstyle, the bright blue eyes, the straight nose…

Still, there are plenty of differences. Doppelganger here has brown hair, is much taller, and more muscular. His smolder is also so much more effective. I don't know whether to be scared or turned on right now.

"Sorry, Terra!" Kairi apologizes in a sing-song voice, putting her phone back into her wristlet.

Oh, so _this_ is Terra.

* * *

**A/N:** Whoo! Back for chapter 2! This one was a fun one to work on; I know much didn't happen, but Aqua's perspective as well as introducing the characters and their dialogue was amusing to write. I know this chapter's a little shorter, but I felt like this was the perfect place to stop it before really starting to get into the plot in the next chapter. Plus, I know a lot of you guys don't like exposition :P

And yes, for those of you who don't know, Amaya and Mary Sue are both beloved OC's of mine. Pls enjoy them and their wonderfulness.

I'm going to try to update this at least one more time before I go back to school, which is next Wednesday, but no promises with Toxic and Sex Ed on my plate!

Thanks so much for reading, and please please please give me a **review**! Those mean so much to me, and really keep me motivated in writing these stories for you guys :)

**Shoutouts: ** Thank you to **WishingDreamer5, SoraxKairi7**, **relena soulheart, Yoyito, miano53, **and **Painted With a Palette** for your reviews! Y'all the real MVP's.


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